


The Day We Met

by heavydiirtysoul



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: A collection of oneshots about their first meetings, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, Smut, all are in different verses, have fun y'all!, i don't know how many there will be yet, i'll be happy to write it for you!, joshler - Freeform, maybe some smut sometimes depending on the circumstances of their meeting wink wink, oh and if you have an idea for a first meeting let me know in the comments, so generally just fluffy things, so i'll keep that open!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-06
Updated: 2016-11-16
Packaged: 2018-08-19 21:24:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8225222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heavydiirtysoul/pseuds/heavydiirtysoul
Summary: Josh meets Tyler. Tyler meets Josh.And that's really all there is, but sometimes, that's enough.





	1. Bar Nights

The first time, they meet at a bar.

Neither of them drinks alcohol, so it's really a curious thing; one they will come to laugh about every now and then in the future. 

Tyler is there for his brother's wedding – or rather his stag night. Everyone's loud and drunk, and he tries to fit in despite his obviously sober state. Sometimes it's hard to laugh along with jokes only drunk people seem to find funny.

Josh is there with a friend, both of them quite bored, hanging out at the bar, Josh clinging to his soda as if it's his lifeline. He'd rather be home, and it shows.

Tyler decides that the next round is on him, announces it loudly, gets cheers for it, strong hands grabbing his shoulder and congratulating him as if he's just won an oscar.

His elbows are resting on the bar, it's crowded, and someone bumps into him, he gets pushed aside, straight into a muscular arm, and Josh spills his coke.

„Sorry, man“, Tyler yells into his ear, Josh just shrugs, smiles.

He has a pretty smile, Tyler notes, and leans over again.

„You come here often?“

The pick-up line is overused, but Josh laughs nonetheless.

„Sure thing“, he yells back, and he actually winks, and Tyler's heart shouldn't beat that fast. He's not here to meet people, not when his brother is watching him with that stupid smirk and cocked eyebrows from where he's standing fifteen feet away.

„Well, maybe we'll meet again“, Tyler just says, squirming under Zack's gaze and Josh nods, but he looks disappointed. 

Tyler orders, picks up the drinks, makes his way back to the group waiting for him impatiently.

„Who was that?“, his brother laughs, pulling him close and trapping his neck in a headlock.

„I don't know, man. Let me go!“

„Not before you get his number“, his brother hisses, and Tyler knows he's just playing. Or is he? 

Zack looks determined.

„Or I can get it for you.“

„Gosh, no.“ Tyler hesitates, sighs, wiggles out of Zack's hold on him. „Fine. But if I get rejected, that's on you.“

His brother laughs and shoves him forward, sending Tyler on his way with a forceful slap on his butt.

„Dibcrap“, Tyler mumbles, but he joins Josh at the bar again, face red, he's embarrassed, doesn't know why. He's quite eloquent, usually, but asking someone for their number wasn't really his field of expertise.

„Uh, hey again“, he says, and Josh looks surprised. Maybe all of this was a stupid idea. 

„What?“, Josh yells. Great, he didn't understand him.

„I said hi!“, Tyler repeats, louder this time, and Josh nods.

„Yeah, hi. We did that already!“

As if Tyler doesn't know that. His face goes even redder, he can feel it.

„Uh, right, umm, so, uh, I wondered -“

Josh interrupts him, smiling this time.

„The answer is yes“, he says, right into Tyler's ear, and the sensation of soft breath against his skin makes Tyler shiver.

„You don't even know what I wanted to ask!“

„I don't care. Whatever it is, it's a yes.“

Tyler laughs. Whoever that guy is, he already likes him.

"I could've wanted to ask you if you are a serial killer, no?"

Josh's eyes go wide, and Tyler regrets his joke. 

„I'm Tyler!“, he yells, desperate to downplay his stupid comment and Josh takes the hand Tyler offered, shakes it. His hands are calloused, rough, but Tyler doesn't mind.

„Josh“, says Josh.

„So, your phone number...?“

„That's what you wanted, alright. I thought you'd just take me right to bed. Or the restroom, in this case“, Josh jokes. He's joking, right?

„Uh..“

„I'm sorry, I'm kidding. Gimme your phone. I'll put my number in.“ 

Tyler can hear the other guys hollering on the other side of the room, cheering, but Josh ignores them. So does Tyler, but his hands are trembling nonetheless as he takes his phone back.

„Josh Dun“, he reads aloud, nods. „I'm gonna call you tomorrow, Josh Dun.“

„Sounds good to me, Tyler – uhh?“

„Joseph.“

He doesn't know why their surnames suddenly matter, but somehow, it's funny.

„Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun“, he repeats, and he feels stupid again, but Josh laughs. 

„Sounds good together.“

„Hell yeah it does“, Tyler says, and he waves Josh goodbye.

 

The next morning is filled with snoring people scattered all over the apartment, and Tyler tries to make his way out of the flat without stepping on anyone.

He meets Josh again at the bakery.

„Dude, are you following me?“, Josh jokes, and Tyler goes red again. What is it with him blushing so much? It's weird, and he doesn't know what to say. Josh laughs, throws an arm around his shoulder and ruffles through his hair. The guy is touchy-feely, and Tyler can't say he doesn't like it.

„Can I get you a coffee?“

Tyler nods, smiles. He still hasn't said anything, he realizes, and he goes for the first thing that comes up in his mind.

„You have a really pretty smile.“

Now it's Josh's turn to blush, but it suits him. Red is definitely his color, Tyler decides.

„Thanks, man. Yours is not so bad either.“

They have coffee together, and Tyler thinks that maybe, after all, staying sober at a stag night does have its perks.


	2. Snow.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if you have any ideas for ways they could meet!
> 
> Or prompt me @spookykittyjosh on tumblr!
> 
> This is dedicated to Katie, who probably expected something else.

The first time, they meet pretty much in the middle of nowhere.

Tyler has borrowed his Dad's car – he's off to do some grocery shopping, plans on taking home lots and lots of canned goods. There's been warnings about a possible blizzard, and he doesn't want to take any chances.

He takes one of the turns in the road a little too fast, and before he realizes what's happening, his head slams against the steering wheel, and he can feel the air getting knocked out of his lungs.

 

A soft, white blanket is covering the windows of the car, and Tyler blinks himself to life with confusion. 

As the memories start flooding in, he panics. His heart is in his throat, thumping loudly, suffocating him, and he's almost sure he can't feel his legs anymore, or – or yes, he can, he can wiggle his toes. He falls into breathless laughter, almost hysterical, tries to find his cellphone in the mess that is his car.

He has swiveled off the road and straight into the woods, the tires without grip on the street, and he's pretty sure the whole vehicle is destroyed beyond repair. There's steam coming from where he assumes the engine to be, and he sighs, laughs again. Definitely a shock, he diagnoses. 

The knock on the car window makes him jump, and he almost hits his head again.

„Smmy. Chnni hullmmh?“

The car windows muffle everything, and Tyler can't understand a word of what the man outside is saying. 

Instead of finally crawling out of the car, he starts to crank the window.

„Uh, hi. Sir, are you okay? It looks like you've been in a crash.“

„No shit, Sherlock!“

He probably shouldn't be rude.

„Okay, um, yeah, that was... obvious. Okay, sorry. I just wanted to check that you're okay. I called 911, but they say they can't get out here anymore. Too much snow on the road. And, umm, too much snow in the air for a chopper.“

Tyler's brain can't process that much info right now, so he nods, shakes his head, nods again.

The other man seems to pick up on his distress.

„Don't worry, Sir, I can get you to the next hospital. I have a jeep, good tires. Will shovel through whatever's comin' our way.“

Tyler nods again. Man, he really should start talking. 'No shit, Sherlock' shouldn't be the only thing one says to the person that is trying to save you out of a car wreck.

„I don't know if the door will open. I'm very small though, I can fit through the window.“

„Let's see.“

Tyler appreciates that the other doesn't reply to his comment about his height. He doesn't even know why he said it in the first place.

Strong hands grab onto the door handle, pull, push, rattle, and open it is, and Tyler almost falls out and into the snow, but he manages to grab onto the next best thing close to him – which is the stranger that's saving him.

„Woops“, the man says, and it sounds adorable. He's catching Tyler with steady arms.

„Okay, let's get you to my car. Can you walk?“

„Yes, thank you. I can wiggle my toes.“

Tyler's voice is very serious.

„Alright then.“

Bright smile, and Tyler really wants to kiss this stranger. But – no, wait, why would he even do that?

„I must've hit my head.“

„Yeah, you're bleeding. Doesn't look too bad though. I'd still put something on it though, I – I have a first aid kit in my car. Come on, now.“

He guides Tyler to his car, or rather: carries him, because apparently being able to wiggle your toes isn't as much of an indicator for a steady walk as Tyler had thought.

Tyler is gently placed on the passenger seat, shivering in the biting cold of the snowy air. 

The stranger returns with a fuzzy blanket and a first aid kit. 

He snuggles into the blanket, shivers again, gives a thankful smile, and his mouth is saying weird stuff again.

„Aren't you going to tell me your name, cutiepie?“ Cutiepie. What the hell?

„Oh, um, yeah, I'm Josh. And man, you must've really hit your head.“

Tyler wants to disappear into the blanket.

„I'm Tyler.“

He pulls the blanket closer, gives Josh a stern look.

„And I'm a burrito now. A Tylerrito.“

„Didn't assume anything else.“ Josh is chuckling. It's a pretty sound. „… Alright, let me see your head.“

Soft fingers guide his chin, from left to right, and then Josh rips open a package and places a gauze bandage on his forehead.

„Hold that there. It's not bad, barely bleeding, but I'll get you to a hospital now.“

Josh gazes around, as if to take in the situation, crinkles his nose, holds his face into the wind, unsure. Tyler thinks he looks like a husky. An adorable, cute husky with snowflakes in his hair.

„We gotta start moving now, or we'll be snowed in.“

 

45 minutes later, they arrive in the next bigger town with a hospital, and Josh pulls into the driveway. They had to stop twice, Josh exchanging the bandage for a new one, disposing of the bloody cloth in his unused ashtray.

The snow sits high enough to let the tires disappear almost completely, and it's close to a miracle that they made it here.

The doctor on duty is obviously suprised to see anyone arrive in the blizzard that's full on raging outside by now, but he takes care of Tyler immediately.

Josh is left sitting in the waiting room until a nurse calls him in, and he rushes to see Tyler.

 

Tyler is comfortable in bed, a proper bandage around his head, and he smiles hazily at Josh.

„'mmm drugged“, he slurs, giggles. Reaches for Josh's hand.

„You look like annn angel. Ah' you an angel?“

Josh shakes his head, but he can't help laughing. 

„Defin—ntly an angeeel. I'mmm gonn' marry youu onnne da- day, Shosh!“

Josh doubts that, but he sits down at Tyler's side anyways, not only because Tyler has his fingers caught vise-like in his hand, but also because they're snowed in and he has nowhere else to be.

And if he asks Tyler out on a date the next day while they're having breakfast in bed, then hell, he just wants to make sure he will be okay.

 

_(The story makes for a great anecdote at their wedding. Tyler gives him a half-hearted shrug, doesn't even try to hide his smug grin. „Told you so“, he says, wiggles his fingers with the ring, and Josh can't really object.)_


	3. markings made on my skin.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> small mention of blood because well, sometimes tattoos bleed a bit when you get them.

The first time they meet, it's at a tattoo parlour.

Or much rather – via e-mail.

 

Tyler has been thinking long and hard about which of his ideas he wants to get inked first. He has lots and lots of them, isn't even sure if he'll ever be able to get them all (or if there's even enough space on his quite slim body to tell all the stories that his skin is itching to share with the world). 

He finally decides on doing his left arm first. It's a simple design, four black rectangles that form a negative space cross. It's an idea he's had when he was 15, but he found that he only grew fonder of it over the years.

After researching, talking to friends and checking out different tattoo shops online, he finds one that sparks his interest. 'Ink and Needles', a simple name, nothing over the top (Tyler is a fan of simplicity, apparently even when it comes to choosing a tattoo shop), but their work... It's exactly what Tyler wanted, minimalistic, with sharp lines and geometric designs, and he shoots them a quick e-mail, asking for an appointment within the next month, or maybe even sooner, if possible. He describes his tattoo idea briefly so the artist can figure out how long they'd need to get his design done.

He hasn't even logged out of his e-mail account yet when a new message pops up.

„Hi Tyler. Does the 14th sound good to you? You could come in around 3:30pm. I'd love to do your tattoo, kinda my style. You can check out some of my work here. Josh“

The 14th is in 3 days. He can feel his heartrate pick up drastically upon the prospect of getting his tattoo so soon – he has waited 6 years, but now even three days seems like eternity.

He follows the link to a website filled with references and examples of Josh's work, and Tyler has to admit that he is right – what Tyler wants is exactly his kind of work. He gets lost in psychedelic mandalas, geometric drawings of animals and abstract conceptual work, everything inked beautifully into skin.

With a short reply, he lets Josh know that yes, the 14th works for him, that he can't wait, how much money he should bring and if there's anything else he needs to know.

Josh's reply comes promptly, and he explains everything Tyler asked quickly and precisely.

3 days, Tyler thinks, 3 days and then you'll have your first tattoo. It's a teenage wish come true, and he can't hide his utter excitement at all.

 

The shop is bright and quiet and nothing like Tyler has expected.

He enters with shaking hands and wobbly legs; excited but nervous, and the doorbell rings loudly into the silence.

„Uh, hello?“

„Hi, yes, gimme a sec, 'm right there!“

There's noises coming from the back of the shop, paper rustling, the familiar sound of caps pushed onto pens, and then a mess of pink hair appears in a doorframe.

Again, his tattoo artist looks nothing like Tyler has expected.

He thought he'd be met by a buff man with muscles and tattoos all over, in a muscle shirt and generally badass-looking; but instead he's greeted by a guy pretty much his own age, maybe a little bit older, with one full sleeve and that was pretty much it. He looks more delicate than anything, and Tyler is afraid that his facial expression gives away his surprise.

„Hi, I'm Josh. You must be Tyler?“

If the other notices his surprise, he's great at pretending he doesn't.

„Yes, that's me. Josh, hi.“

Damp hands are caught in a firm, but gentle handshake, and Josh waves for Tyler to follow him to the comfy looking ensemble of leather chairs in the front of the shop.

„Alright, I drew your design, and I'd transfer it on your arm first so you can see how it'd look and if you're happy with the outcome, okay?“

Tyler nods. He's still nervous.

Josh proceeds with professional movements, transfers the four simple black rectangles onto Tyler's arm with a paper, checks twice if it's in the right place, presses it against Tyler's skin, wipes over it with calculated moves, pulls the paper away, and there it is.

If he's been nervous before, it's gone now, and Tyler smiles widely.

„It's exactly what I imagined“, he gasps, completely wrapped up with his reflection in the mirror. 

„That's good. Great!“ 

Josh's smile is contagious, and Tyler doesn't know if he's smiling like an idiot because of the fact that he's getting a tattoo or because frick, Josh seems just as giddishly excited as he is.

„Okay, follow me. My cot is in the back. We're on our own today, Jack had to call in sick.“

Tyler nods, follows Josh with a thumping heart.

„Uh, this is my first tattoo“, he admits as he lies down, eyes slightly wider than normal and hand clutching to the black leather of the cot. „So I'm like, super nervous. Um – does it hurt? Like, bad?“

Josh is already preparing the tattoo gun and the color, and he looks very professional – which is quite reassuring for Tyler.

„I figured. You read all the info stuff I sent you, right? First, I'll need you to sign the form here.“ 

He points to the clipboard on the cot, and Tyler reads through everything on it thoroughly. He learns about aftercare, about the fact that tattoos are permanent (no shit, Sherlock), and he nods along and finally signs.

„Thanks. So, uh, yeah, it'll probably hurt. That's kind of obvious, I think, because it's twenty-four needles digging into your skin at the same time. That's the number I'll go with, because that makes for a very smooth outcome of color. So yes, it'll hurt. But it also depends on your pain tolerance. You'll see. It's probably not as bad as you imagined it to be, but wait for when we've been on it for two hours, that's when it'll start to get bad.“

Listening to Josh explain everything so carefully and with a soft smile on his lips and passionate dark eyes calms Tyler's racing heart, and he leans down and into the cot, tries to plead with his tense muscles to relax.

„If it gets too much and you need a break, tell me. I can stop whenever. We have pretty much all afternoon.“

Tyler nods, shifts a bit, and Josh's gloved hands come to rest on the pen pattern on Tyler's arm.

„Ready?“

„Hm-mh.“

The tattoo gun buzzes to life, and at first, Tyler feels – nothing.

It's so unbelievably anti-climactic that he can't keep himself from bursting into laughter. Josh draws away quickly, careful to not mess up any lines because of Tyler's body shaking with breathless giggles.

„You alright, Tyler?“

„Frick, yes. I expected like, burning, stinging, anything. But this is... I can't believe I was scared. I'm ridiculous.“ He tries to bring himself to stop laughing, but fails horribly, breaks into an even harder flash of giggles.

Josh eventually joins his laughter, and for a few moments, they just chuckle and gasp for air, and Josh wipes a laughter tear from the corner of his eyes with the crook of his arm.

„Oh, man. I remember my first tattoo, my reaction was exactly the same“, he admits, still breathless, then inhaling deeply to find back his calm.

„Alright, let's do this.“

They spent the next hour talking about everything and nothing, always accompanied by the angry buzz of the tattoo machine, and Tyler learns that surprisingly, they grew up in the same neighborhood, went to the same church, even attended the same concerts, and he can't help but wonder why in the heavens they've never met before. 

Maybe it had to be here, today, with Josh on one side of the needle, and Tyler on the other.

After about an hour and a half, Tyler begins to understand what Josh meant when he said that it would get worse. It _does_ get worse.

His skin is red and slightly slick with the smallest amount of blood, and his muscles are tense and cramping, and he can feel the sting of tears in his eyes as he bites down hard on his bottom lip. The needles feel like fire in his arms.

„Alright, I – I need a break“, he pushes out through gritted teeth, and Josh stops immediately.

„Good with me. I'm hungry anyways. Uh-“, he hesitates, gives Tyler a calculating look. „I've got some Taco Bell in the fridge, if you want some too?“

„Heck yes I do“, Tyler admits, chuckling again. His arm is burning hot, but the pain is already fading now that the needles have stopped biting.

„Great. I'll get the stuff. We can sit in the backyard, I can't smoke in here.“

Tyler stands up from the cot with wobbly legs, and for a second, his vision gets blurry.

„Uh“, he makes eloquently, and then Josh catches him, holds him with steady arms.

„Woah there, Ty. Everything alright?“

Tyler shakes his head in confusion, wills the blood back to his limbs instead of flushing his brain.

„Yeah, better now. I get that sometimes when I stand up too quickly.“

Josh nods, makes sure that Tyler is standing safely, then leaves for where Tyler assumes the private area of the store to be.

„You comin'?“

„On my way“, Tyler calls back, following with careful steps.

They eat in silence, Tyler only nibbling on some chips while Josh pretty much buries his face into a quesalupa. 

His arm is still stinging when he moves it, but other than that, he's doing just fine.

Three of the rectangles are done, and Josh had wrapped some plastic wrap around his arm to avoid any dirt or dust getting into the wound. Tyler's arm rustles with every movement.

Josh lights a cigarette as soon as he's crumbled up the wrapping of the taco, inhales deeply, leans back in the old, squeaky lounge chair in the backyard.

It's not exactly a pretty day, the autumn chill in the air already eminent enough to let soft shivers run down Tyler's spine, but the sun peaks out between the thick clouds every now and then and there's birds tchirping in the distance, the air smells like rain. All in all, he can't really think of any place he'd rather be right now instead of here, in the brisk sunset, Josh's cigarette crackling quietly whenever he takes a pull.

Unfortunately, there's still one rectangle empty on his skin, and they eventually make their way back inside to finish up.

It's no fun anymore, and Josh works in silence while Tyler whimpers quietly, but he forces himself to sit through it, breathe through the pain, it'll be worth it in the end.

And it is.

He can't take his eyes from the black, thick pattern in his arm half-hidden beneath two layers of plastic wrap, hypnotized by the way it looks and burns and stings and he doesn't regret it for even a second.

Josh stays in the background, quietly observing the way Tyler's face lights up everytime he moves his arm a bit to get a new look on the tattoo, and he has his arms crossed in front of his chest, fingertips drawing alond the lines of his own tattoo, reminiscing upon his first session and how proud he felt afterwards, a soft, warm smile playing on his lips.

They get the payment over with quickly, and eventually leave the shop together after Josh has tidied up his booth.

The key clicks in the lock, and Josh pulls the door twice to make sure it's really locked, and then they stand in silence for a few moments.

„So I was thinking..“

„Uh, I wondered...“

They both start speaking at the same time, falling back into silence again, then chuckling.

„You first.“

„You go first.“

Again, at the same time. Nervous laughter, then Josh starts over.

„I was thinking -- if you'd like to, I mean, that we could, I don't know, grab a beer together sometime? Or a coke, if you don't drink. There's a concert next weekend, uh, just a small acoustic project some of my friends have been working on, and I thought, uh,...“

„Sure, yes, I'd love that.“

„Great! Great. Nice. I mean, uh, cool beans.“

Tyler gives Josh a cocked eyebrow, and they laugh again, Josh burying his face in his hands.

„I can't believe I just said cool beans. I... Man.“

„It's alright. I do finger guns all the time.“

„Nerd“, Josh teases, and Tyler plays offended and gasps.

„Says the one who just said cool beans.“

„Okay, good point. So, uh, wanna give me your phone number? I'd text you the details.“

„Sure. Cool beans“, Tyler says, and his voice is dripping with sarcasm. Josh rolls his eyes.

„I'll never live that down, will I?“

„Nope“, Tyler grins, and he types his phone number into Josh's contacts.

 

( _When Josh proposes to him three years later, Tyler just smiles sweetly._

_„Will you marry me?“_

_„Sure. Cool beans“, Tyler replies, and Josh groans, gets up from the floor where he's been down on one knee, presses a long kiss to Tyler's lips._

_„Nerd“, he says, and Tyler makes finger guns._ )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompted by j.   
> thank you for existing <3


	4. robbed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i'm so sorry this sucks big time ugh please forgive me
> 
> but anyways this is inspired by real life events since my car got broken into while we were camping at the top show so i figured, you know what, why not

The first time, they meet at a concert.

Tyler isn't usually the one to hang out at the back entrance of a venue in hopes of meeting the band. He really isn't. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and the fact that someone just broke into his car and stole pretty much all of his stuff, including the ticket for tonights' show, is excuse enough for him.

He isn't quite sure what exactly he is hoping to achieve, but he thinks if he would just be able to catch one of the band members before the show to explain what happened, maybe they'd be nice enough to talk to the security and let him in without a ticket.

Unfortunately, Tyler isn't the only one currently hanging out at the door. There's a bunch of girls close to him, chatting and giggling and holding pens and papers in hopes of getting an autograph. He hadn't even realized that House of Heroues was actually big enough to have risen to a level of fame that had people so riled up to meet them, but then again, he had been here for hours, arriving at the venue in the early morning to get a spot right in front of the stage. So maybe he shouldn't be the one to talk, after all.

His dedication had nothing to do with the cute drummer, obviously. Nothing at all. He simply liked the band for their great music, of course - or so he tried to convince himself every now and then while browsing through the band's facebook page in search for a new desktop wallpaper (which conveniently always featured a sweaty, curly-haired, shirtless drummer, but that was accidental.)

When he had found out about the gig in his hometown, it was a no brainer to buy a ticket - a ticket that was now in the hands of some jerk robber who decided that smashing his car window and stealing all of his stuff was a good idea. So here he was, waiting at the backdoor of the city hall with sweaty hands and puffy red eyes from crying, accompanied by all those fangirls, looking like a pathetic stalker.

The sudden chaos breaking out in the group of girls snatched him out of his thoughts. "Josh!" "Josh, hey, hi!!" "Josh, can we get an autograph?!"

He could feel his cheeks flare up bright red when he locked eyes with the drummer, only a mere second, but enough to have the familiar rush of anxiety pulse through his veins. Their eye contact was interrupted by the girls gathering between them, laughing and yelling and cornering Josh to get pictures with him, and Tyler decided to keep to the background, to not push anything. If he was in Josh's place, he would already be devastated, caught in the crowd, so he didn't want to add to the chaos, simply prayed and hoped that he'd be lucky enough to get a moment alone with the drummer after the crowd had dissipated.

It was awkward, standing there, fidgeting with his shirt while Josh was talking and laughing with the other people, and he felt strangely out of place. He should be at the front door, sitting in the foldable chair he'd brought along, chatting with the others who were first in line. He wasn't supposed to be here, and with a desperate, pathetic whine he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. This was useless, he decided, turning around to leave when he heard Josh raising his voice.

"Hey, wait!"

The girls fell silent, and Tyler found himself being stared at by numerous surprised faces as Josh made his way over to him. 

"I - I'm sorry, I -"

God, he couldn't believe how awkward he was. This was awful.

"You've been waiting so patiently, don't leave. Hey, everyone, get back in line, alright? Doors is in ten."

The girls were already whispering, conspiring, trying to figure out who the hell Tyler was to deserve special treatment, but they followed Josh's request, wandering back to the front of the city hall, and Tyler felt strange in the following silence.

"So", Josh said, cocked eyebrow and a questioning expression on his face, only a few steps from Tyler. "You want an autograph or something?"

Tyler squirmed. Awful, he repeated to himself.

"No, I -- sorry, this is dumb, I shouldn't be here."

Josh seemed to mistake his awkwardness for simple shyness, giving him a bashful smile.

"Hey, it's okay. No need to be scared or somethin'."

"I know. I'm -- I'm not scared. I wanted to ask something, but it's dumb."

"I'm sure it's not dumb."

"I lost my ticket, okay? Like -- not lost it. Stolen. I mean, it was stolen. Someone broke into my car. I've been here since like, uh, 7am, and someone must've -- they smashed my car window and took my bag and now my ticket is gone and my wallet and I don't know what to do. God, I'm pathetic, sorry. I don't know why I even waited here, I'm just some stupid guy and you probably can't do anything anyways and -"

Josh interrupted him with a hand on his arm, and Tyler thought if he'd blush any harder he'd probably faint.

"Hey, shh, calm down. It's okay. Have you called the police yet? That's awful, that someone broke into your car."

He looked genuinely worried, and Tyler felt even more dumb, but he nodded nonetheless.

"Yeah, already filed a report and everything. And put a plastic bag over my car window so it isn't like, all open and stuff."

"Alright, good, that's good. Listen, we do have a guest list and I'd love to put you on there, but they'd need an ID and everything and, uh, that stuff has been stolen too, no?"

Tyler nodded, feeling the stinging burn of new tears dwell in his eyes.

"Fuck", he mumbled under his breath, devastated. He couldn't believe Josh would actually do that for him, but then again, it was no use anyways. There was no way he'd get into that dumb hall. 

"I wonder...", Josh started, then trailing off, his hand still on Tyler's arm. "Give me a minute. Don't run off, okay?"

Tyler shook his head, wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his hoodie while Josh disappeared back into the hall. Maybe he'd never come back, Tyler thought as the door fell close, maybe he was tired of dealing with Tyler being such a mess. It wasn't his responsibility to do this anyways, so Tyler wouldn't even be mad or anything.

Before he could spiral further down that road, the door opened again, Josh emerging with a comfy jacket thrown lazily over his shoulders and a yet unlit cigarette hanging from his lips.

"I've been robbed before", he said as if that was an explanation, lighting the cigarette and taking a deep pull before exhaling sharply, a cloud of smoke hiding his face for a moment. "They took my wallet and everything, but just left my bag in a trashcan close to my car. So, let's go look. Maybe we'll find something." A quick glance to his watch. "We have about half an hour. Let's go."

Tyler followed Josh silently, still in denial upon the fact that he was actually talking to Josh. No, even more so, wandering along the dark parking lot while Josh helped him look for his stolen stuff, and he didn't look judgemental at all upon Tyler's shaken appearance.

"I didn't even ask your name", Josh suddenly said, turning around to walk backwards for a bit so he could look at Tyler.

"Tyler", he answered, a soft smile sneaking its way onto his lips for the first time since that whole robbery mess had happened.

"Tyler, hi, nice to meet you. And thank you for coming out to our show today, that means a lot."

He just nodded, stuffing his hands into the pouch of his hoodie when he gasped with disbelief. 

"That's my bag!"

He lunged forward, towards his red backpack lying in a clump of bushes right beside the parking lot. 

"I can't believe we actually found it!"

The tears were coming again, but this time from utter relief and happiness. He quickly snatched up his bag, going through his stuff - everything was still there, the ticket, his beanie, some of his leftover snacks. The wallet remained gone, but honestly, he couldn't care less at the moment.

Josh was beaming, bright smile plastered on his face as Tyler sobbed, pulling him close for a quick embrace before holding up a hand for Tyler to high five.

"That's great! See, sometimes you just get lucky."

"I can't believe I didn't just go look before. I - thank you so much, Josh."

"Sure thing. Look, I have to go back to the venue in a bit, but if you want to, we can hang out after the show? The guys wanted to go for a beer or two later, you could tag along if you want?"

Unsurprisingly, Tyler did want to tag along, and when they exchanged numbers at the end of the night, he felt like he was on top of the world again.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know in the comments if you have any ideas for how they could meet! I'm happy to write it for you!
> 
> prompt me @spookykittyjosh on tumblr!


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